Sepaku () is an administrative district (kecamatan) of Penajam North Paser Regency, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. As of 2024, it was inhabited by 41,677 people, an increase from 40,322 people in 2023 and 39,738 people in 2022, and currently has the total area of 1,172.36 km2. Its district seat is located at the village of Tengin Baru.

Sepaku was split off from Penajam on 11 June 1996, and the district has been designated as the site of the future national capital of Nusantara, although the local government once claimed that it would only consist of around 10% to 20% of the current total area.

Etymology According to the website of the Sukaraja village, Sepaku (and also the eponymous urban village of Sepaku) is named after the abundance of ferns () in that district.

History Sepaku was originally inhabited by the Balik people (a subgroup of the Paser people), who migrated from neighbouring Balikpapan (Tanjung Gonggot).

Before its establishment in its current form, Sepaku was known for being a destination for transmigrants, mostly of the Javanese ethnicity, with the land established in 1968 by a gubernatorial decree. Its settlement started on 26 August 1975 at the village of Sepaku I (now Bukit Raya), and ended in 1984 at Semoi III (now Sukomulyo). Along with Penajam (then known as Balikpapan Seberang), it was part of Balikpapan until 1987. Another transmigration programs occurred in 1991 and 1998.

On 11 June 1996, following the enactment of the government regulation number 38, Sepaku was formed from the northern parts of Penajam, along with the formation of 12 others in East and North Kalimantan. Its formation was inaugurated on 25 September 1996 by then East Kalimantan governor H. . On 5 March 1999, seven numbered villages were renamed by a gubernatorial decree, and only one (Semoi II or Semoi Dua) currently retains its name: Sepaku I became Bukit Raya Sepaku II became Sukaraja Sepaku III became Tengin Baru Sepaku IV became Bumi Harapan Semoi I became Argomulyo Semoi III became Sukomulyo Semoi IV became Wonosari

Since 2002, Sepaku has been a part of Penajam North Paser Regency (Penajam Paser Utara, or PPU), after it split from Paser Regency (then Pasir). Eight years later, on 14 April 2010, Binuang and Telemow villages were formed from parts of Maridan by local regulation number 6. Before being chosen for the site of the future Indonesian capital in 2019, there had been demands from the district to secede from PPU due to lags in development.

Geography Sepaku shares borders with West Balikpapan (Balikpapan) to southeast; West Samboja, Loa Janan, and Loa Kulu (Kutai Kartanegara) to the east and the north; Bongan (West Kutai) to the northwest; Long Kali (Paser) to the southwest; and Penajam to the south. The average elevation in Sepaku is 15 meters above sea level.

As of 2019, dozens of rivers were listed in Sepaku: River name Villages Bentayan Pemaluan Biangai Bumi Harapan Daub Mentawir Kali Wangi Sukomulyo Kemantis Mentawir Larung Binuang and Pemaluan Mangkulio Bukit Raya and Bumi Harapan Miyango Karang Jinawi Muntayo Argomulyo, Semoi Dua, and Wonosari Pemaluan Binuang, Pemaluan, and Telemow Seluang Sukaraja Semoi Sukaraja Sepaku Bukit Raya, Sukaraja, and Sepaku Sepinggan Sukomulyo Tengin Tengin Baru Trunen Bumi Harapan and Pemaluan Sepaku has been long prone to floods even before the establishment of Nusantara. As of mid 2023, 257 floods were recorded throughout 7 villages.

Governance Villages

Sepaku Penajam is divided into the following fifteen villages (four classed as urban , eleven as rural , the former are marked by a grey background), listed with their areas and their estimated populations as at mid 2023 and 2024:Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2025, Kecamatan Sepaku Dalam Angka 2025 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.6409040) Regional code() Name Area (km2) Pop'n (2023) Pop'n (2024) RW () 64.09.04.1007 Maridan 37.05 4,165 4,246 - 64.09.04.1008 Mentawir 132.24 777 802 - 64.09.04.1006 Pemaluan 367.18 1,904 1,989 - 64.09.04.2004 Bumi Harapan(Sepaku IV) 15.00 2,380 2,543 2 64.09.04.2012 Wonosari(Semoi IV) 33.41 1,317 1,367 2 64.09.04.2010 Semoi Dua(Semoi II) 74.47 3,407 3,483 4 64.09.04.2009 Argomulyo(Semoi I) 36.14 3,387 3,437 5 64.09.04.2011 Sukomulyo(Semoi III) 27.11 2,214 2,298 3 64.09.04.2001 Tengin Baru (Sepaku III) 43.48 4,306 4,463 5 64.09.04.2003 Sukaraja(Sepaku II) 77.38 4,263 4,467 5 64.09.04.2002 Bukit Raya(Sepaku I) 185.34 3,119 3,308 2 64.09.04.1005 Sepaku 133.97 2,021 2,113 - 64.09.04.2013 Karang Jinawi 13.85 1,163 1,198 2 64.09.04.2014 Telemow 4.82 3,655 3,704 3 64.09.04.2015 Binuang 17.65 2,244 2,259 2 Totals 1,172.36 40,322 41,677 35

District heads

The following are the list of district heads () of Sepaku: # Name Took office Left office 1 Baharuddin 1997 2000 2 Tasmad Hariady 2000 2002 3 Hardani Har 2002 2004 4 Suhardi 2004 2005 5 Muhammad 2005 2009 6 Nurzaman 2009 2011 7 Daman 2011 2013 8 Risman Abdul 2013 20??

Demographics

As of 2023, Sepaku was inhabited by 40,322 people (comprising 20,848 males and 19,474 females).

Religion As of 2023, by far the largest religious group in Sepaku were Muslims (36,461 people), followed by smaller minorities including Protestants (6,488 people), Catholics (1,007 people), Hindus (21 people), and Buddhists (8 people). Places of worships in Sepaku included 17 mosques, 30 small pray rooms (), 24 Protestant churches, and a Catholic church.

Education As of 2022/2023 school year, Sepaku had 15 private kindergartens, 29 elementary schools (4 of them were private), 8 junior high schools (3 were private), a (an Islamic counterpart of the former), 2 senior high schools (each private and public), and a private (an Islamic counterpart of the former). Notable schools at Sepaku include:

SD Negeri 020 Sepaku, which was relocated from its original flood-prone location, into a new building constructed by Astra Educational Foundation — Michael D. Ruslim.

Health

As of 2022, Sepaku had 4 public health centers (), 2 pharmacies, and each one hospital and polyclinic. The first hospital at the district, Sepaku Regional Public Hospital, was inaugurated on 5 August 2021 by the regional secretary of PPU, Muliadi, and it began to provide health services on 10 January 2022.

See also Nusantara, the newly-proposed capital of Indonesia, mostly located within Sepaku

References